European Patent Specification 0 261 167 teaches a wound dressing that has a layer of silicone gel on that side which lies proximal to the wound in use. One of the advantages afforded by such a layer is that it will adhere to dry skin, but not to the surface of a wound. The gel layer is preferably perforated to enable excess fluid exuded by the wound to be absorbed into in an absorbent body placed on top of the gel layer by suction. The perforated pattern in the gel layer is obtained by supporting said layer on a carrier that includes a pattern of holes, such as a knitted textile material or a perforated plastic film.